Page 15 of Having HIs Back

The following morning, he met Kerry and escorted him to the viewing room.

He wanted to kiss him but refrained. “Okay. You can make yourself comfortable in here. Of course, you can see into the room, but Charlie is not going to be able to see you. We will bring him in once we’re ready, and I’ll talk to him.

Janine is going to be in here with you, and she will be able to communicate to me directly if it’s absolutely required.

” It was best if he were able to concentrate as closely as possible during this type of questioning.

“Okay. I won’t interrupt unless it’s absolutely necessary, and I’ll do it through Janine if it’s required.”

Brian hoped that it wouldn’t be necessary.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later. It will take a few minutes, so get comfortable and relax as much as you can.

” He left Kerry and returned to his desk while one of the uniformed officers got Charlie and took him to the interrogation room.

Once Brian knew he was in there, he waited, letting Charlie stew. Then he went down and opened the door.

“I know my rights, and I want my lawyer,” Charlie said as soon as he entered the room.

“Very well. We’ll get him.” He sat down and stared across the table at Charlie, not saying anything, but not looking away either.

He had a right to an attorney, but that didn’t mean that Brian was just going to leave him alone.

This was the psychological part of the interview: make Charlie as uncomfortable as possible.

“Stop looking at me,” Charlie said, but Brian shrugged and didn’t turn away.

Charlie looked at the side walls, which were gray and blank.

Then he tried looking over Brian’s shoulder and finally down at the table.

“What are you hoping for? I don’t have to talk to you.

” Again, Brian remained quiet as Charlie got more and more agitated.

“I don’t know anything anyway. I don’t know why I’m here. ”

“So, you want to talk?” Brian asked. He didn’t press about an attorney; he simply watched the other man.

“I don’t know anything.” He was becoming more and more fidgety, and then without a word, Brian opened the folder in front of him and slid out a form, turning it toward Charlie without pushing it across the table, but knowing he could read the large print at the top.

Attorney Waiver. Charlie grabbed the form, and Brian tossed him a pen.

Once Charlie signed it, Brian took it back, put it in the folder, and took out the picture of Caroline as she had been found.

“Do you know her?” he asked, and Charlie shrugged. “Verbal answers.”

“Yeah. So, she’s the mother of my kid, and she kept him from me. I know she’s dead because I checked at the funeral home, and now I want my kid.”

“Is that why you strangled her?” Brian asked as coolly as he could. “You figured you could get your son if his mother was dead, so you strangled her and then hung her body to try to make it look like a suicide.” He smiled. “We know it was you.”

“I didn’t do any of that,” Charlie burst out too loudly to be really convincing.

“See, we know you did.” Brian pushed his chair back.

“Stand up and lift your pant legs.” He had on baggy jail pants.

“Go ahead. Lift your pant legs.” Charlie got to his feet and pulled up his right pant leg.

Then his left, which was covered with nasty scrapes and lurid bite marks.

They were infected and going to get pretty bad.

Brian swallowed hard because the guy’s leg looked kind of gross, but other than that, he gave no indication of what that injury proved.

Brian also knew that at that moment, Janine was directing one of the cameras in the room to get a close up of the injury. This wasn’t television, and they didn’t have the equipment to match the injury back to Pebbles, but Charlie didn’t necessarily know that.

“I got this riding a friend’s motorcycle,” Charlie supplied as though he had all the answers.

“No. You got that when the victim’s dog, Pebbles, attacked you. He tore into your leg, and unfortunately for you, we were able to get DNA off the dog. So, we can match that injury to the victim’s dog, the same victim that you deny harming.”

Charlie turned to him, his eyes dark, and Brian figured he was about to jump at him at any time. “That damned bitch had my kid, and she was trying to get money out of me for him.” The look in his eyes was feral. “I had to do something.”

Brian stood and leaned over the table, pressing his advantage.

“So, you lured her into the garage with threats of trying to take Phillip away from her and then strangled her. You had a plan, but you didn’t count on the dog attacking the hell out of you.

And once you were done, you strung up her body to try to make it look like she hung herself. ”

“That damned bitch was going to ruin my life…,” Charlie said, and that sounded close enough to a confession that Brian only stood there waiting to see what else he said.

Charlie’s hands began to twitch as the realization of what he’d said must have sunk in.

“Sit down!” Brian snapped just as a knock on the door followed by a man in an ill-fitting suit with a battered briefcase entered. The guy looked about twelve, with the harrowed look of a man much older. Brian almost felt sorry for him.

“I’m Joshua Parker, Mr. Westerly’s attorney,” he said with little energy. “The questioning of my client stops now. And unless you are arresting him, we’re out of here.”

“See, that’s just the thing. He waived his right to an attorney.

But he can assert it now, since you’re here.

” Brian was more than happy for that at the moment.

“And as for arresting your client, we’re going to do that now.

Charles Westerly, you are formally under arrest for the premeditated murder of Caroline Sutherland.

” An officer came into the room, put handcuffs on Charles, and then plopped him back down into his chair.

Then he retreated to the corner as additional muscle if needed.

“On what grounds?” Mr. Parker asked.

“Well, we can start with the confession he gave just before you walked in. Then there’s the DNA evidence.

See, your client was attacked by the victim’s dog.

” An officer handed him a set of papers, and he passed them over to the attorney.

“This is a warrant giving us the right to take samples of Mr. Westerly’s injuries, as well as a DNA sample.

A nurse will be in shortly to take care of that.

” He kept his expression neutral, though he wanted to grin.

“You can’t use any of that since it was garnered without him having been read his rights.” Mr. Parker said.

“Please. He was read his rights last night at the victim’s home when he was first arrested for disturbing the peace. Besides, he confirmed he knew his rights when he first asked for you.” Brian was pleased. “And once the DNA comes back….”

Mr. Parker chuckled. “What is taking samples from my client’s wounds going to do? Match them to himself?”

Brian grinned. “No. We’re going to match DNA from his wound back to the dog that bit him. The victim’s dog.” The tests hadn’t come back yet from the lab. He thought of bluffing, but there was no need.

“That’s a stretch,” the attorney said. “It sounds to me as though you’re getting desperate.”

Brian shrugged and waited a few more minutes for the nurse to come in.

She had Charlie open his mouth, and she swabbed his cheek.

Then she carefully swabbed down the wounds on his leg, using multiple swabs before closing the samples.

She turned to the attorney. “You might want to get your client some medical care. Those wounds are infected. Dog bites are particularly prone to infection.” Then she left the room, closing the door behind her.

“I’d say we’re done here. We have everything we need.” Brian packed up his folder. “A second officer will be in to help escort you back to your cell.” He left the room and closed the door, then went to the observation room. “Are the microphones off?”

“Yes. He’s with his attorney,” Janine told him.

“Good.”

“Can you really get Pebbles’s DNA from his wound?” Kerry asked him.

Brian shrugged. “I’m not sure. But we’re going to try. That will only help solidify the case. We don’t have a signed confession, but we do have a confession of sorts.”

“Of sorts,” Janine echoed as the phone rang.

She answered it and grinned, listening before hanging up.

“That was the lab. They were able to get blood off Pebbles and material from Pebbles’ teeth to match our suspect.

Pebbles attacked him and we can prove it.

His confession also gives us the basis for first-degree murder, which means he gets life in prison. ”

Kerry slumped slightly, his shoulders dropping. “So, it’s over?”

“I’d say so. Yes. There may be court, but I suspect that they are going to try to plea bargain.

But either way, he’s going away from a very long time, and as soon as we alert family court that he’s been arrested and what the charges are, his custody claims for Phillip aren’t going to go anywhere.

Chuck the Fuck is going to go away for a very long time. ”

Janine brought a chair, and Kerry sat down, his face in his hands. Janine excused herself quietly and left the room.

“God,” Kerry said. “I don’t know how I expected this moment to feel, but it’s nothing like I thought. I mean….”

“I know. There’s a sense of justice, but that doesn’t bring Caroline back. There is nothing that will do that. But this part of the ordeal is over. We have caught the person who took their mother away from Henry and Phillip. That is all that we can do.”

“I know. It just doesn’t feel the way I thought it would.”

“How did you think it would feel?” Brian asked, trying to help Kerry put words to what seemed to be bubbling up.

He lifted his head, his eyes watery, opened his mouth, and nothing came out. “I don’t know. I’m a psychologist. I should have words for this. I should know.” Frustration joined the hurt in his voice.

“No. You shouldn’t. This isn’t my first case like this, and I can tell you that everyone feels this way.

I think it’s because there are no words for a time like this.

You think you’ll have some kind of vindication or some sense of finality, but all that’s truly final is that Caroline is gone.

You are never going to feel better about that.

” He sat with Kerry. “It’s also okay to be angry, because that’s normal too. ”

“You should be the psychologist.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “I always figured I’d either be a police officer or a bartender. I guess the second part of my personality is coming out.”

Kerry chuckled as he wiped his eyes. “I should have anticipated this.”

“How could you? You’ve never experienced this before.”

Kerry nodded. “And I don’t think I could have gotten through this without you.” He rested his head on Brian’s shoulder, and they stayed like that, quiet and together for quite a while. “I know you have to go back to work.”

“Yeah, I do. There are going to be more reports and paperwork than you can imagine. But we got him, and the person who took your sister away is going to be behind bars for a very long time. Take as much comfort in that as you can. Then go on home to the boys and find something fun for all of you to do.”

“Yeah. I know it sounds like a cliché, but life goes on.”

Brian backed away. “It does, and you’ll always miss Caroline.

But the loss will lessen over time, and those two boys will always know that they’re loved and cared for.

As the boys keep saying… that’s what their angel mommy would want to see.

” Brian’s own eyes began to tear, and fuck it all, he couldn’t let the rest of the guys see it.

“That got to you too?” Kerry asked.

Brian sighed. “If I’m honest, this whole case has gotten to me. You and the boys have really gotten under my skin, and I don’t quite know what to do about it.”

Kerry actually smiled. “Then since it’s largely over, how about we go on an official date? You know, one where you don’t arrive in an unmarked police car or one of those work suits of yours. We can go out for a real dinner that doesn’t involve chicken fingers, mac and cheese, or pizza.”

“I like that idea.” Damn, that actually sounded amazing.

“Good. I need to get the boys, and you can call me to find out when I’m free. You know, my schedule is so very full right now, I’m not sure how I’m going to fit you in.” Kerry headed for the door, and Brian rolled his eyes as he smiled.